Driving test gear selection

[snowandrocks]

I've recently been teaching my girlfriend to drive and she's now getting to the stage where we're taking in faster roads and dual carriageways.

I understand that current recommended practice is to use the "gears to go and brakes to slow" method - i.e. slow for a hazard and then only once at the correct speed select the appropriate gear and continue through.

This works well enough most of the time but feels a bit odd when slowing from higher speeds to near stationery. For example, we were travelling along a stretch of 70 mph dual carriageway and approached a line of standing traffic, is it still right to stay in sixth until you've come to a halt and only then engage first, even if it means having to dip the clutch at ~30mph?

After thinking about it I tend to select another intermediate gear to minimise the time spent coasting but can anyone confirm what's currently being taught?

[grimmac]

Pretty much the same situation as in this thread.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[KAgantua]

Ive been driving three years and engine brake loads.

problem with doing that is
1) examiner might not like it, especially if she misses a mirror check while changing gear.
2) might confuse her as shes new

Also being in a lower gear (ie the way i was thought, 1st for getting you started, 2nd for up to 20, third for up to thirty, fourth for up to forty, fifth for up to fifty) is, although its very sweeping and a lot of the time youre in the 'wrong gear' (ie engine working too hard) its difficult to make a mistake, and youve also got loads of flexibility (ie loads of engine braking if you take your foot off the gas in a 'situation' or loads of acceleration if you need it.)

best of luck to her

[catman]

I was teaching the method you describe in the eighties. You probably won't need to dip the clutch so soon, so you would travel less distance with the clutch dis-engaged.

Tim

[Falsey]

I did my test just over three years ago and when I did it, it was change down through the gears to slow down. And if it wasnt, thats how I passed my test. Coasting down in 6th seems a bit odd to me.

[R0G]

Might feel odd but that is the way its done

What you could do is to brake harder then select a lower gear in order to reach the hazard as more space would have been left in front by the harder braking

I often do that so it gives the option to keep moving should the opportunity occur - maybe towards a red light or a queue which may start to move

[Dannbodge]

She could try block changing instead
so approach using the brakes and skip gears on the way down. ie: approaching a roundabout in 5th, brake to slow down but around 30mph change to 2nd and combine the engine braking with foot braking. That way if the roundabout is clear she can continue on without the need for coming to a complete halt.

I've been driving 7 years and I use the brakes to slow me down around 20% of the time. The rest I will just use engine braking and plenty of anticipation to what's going on in front of me.

It's probably best that you ask a qualified instructor. After all that's their profession.

[budfox]

I was taught in the 1980s too, and vividly remember the instructor telling me to use the brakes to slow down and not the gears. He told me that brakes were a lot cheaper to replace than clutches and the thought has stuck with me ever since.

Mind you, now that I drive a Nissan Leaf brakes are bad. Flicking in to 'B' mode is what's best.

[kambites]

I might be wrong but I'm pretty sure the examiner can't actually fail her for incorrect gear usage unless it's deemed "dangerous"?

[R_U_LOCAL]

kambites said:

I might be wrong but I'm pretty sure the examiner can't actually fail her for incorrect gear usage unless it's deemed "dangerous"?

Not really - constant misuse of gears will result in a series of "minors" which indicate a driving fault and will result in a fail. However, a candidate won't fail a driving test for changing down sequentially whilst slowing on the brakes - misuse, or incorrect use of gears would mean the candidate persistently choosing too high or too low a gear for the road speed, persistantly mistiming or crunching gears, persistantly changing to a low gear at speed etc.

Changing down sequentially whilst braking isn't classed as misuse of the gears as long as each gear selected is appropriate for the road speed at that time.

However, for a novice driver, it's much simpler to stick to the principle of slowing on the brakes and then taking an appropriate gear (or handbrake-neutral if coming to a stop). It seperates the actions into individual phases and the driver is only carrying out one principle action at once. It also means there is less to go wrong on test, which is why most instructors these days teach this technique.

[mywifeshusband]

Buy an automatic.

[kambites]

Ah, I hadn't realised the examiner could give multiple minor faults to fail for the same problem. Has that always been the case?

[R_U_LOCAL]

kambites said:

Ah, I hadn't realised the examiner could give multiple minor faults to fail for the same problem. Has that always been the case?

Not sure if it's always been the case, but I've taught the occasional learner over the last 10 years and it's been the case during that time.

Candidates are allowed (if memory serves me right) up to 15 minor faults, but if they demonstrate a similar fault more than three times, it's classed as a serious fault and will result in a faul.

One serious or one dangerous fault will also result in a fail.

[CallorFold]

The one thing I was always warned against was coasting. Either not being in a gear, or rolling with the clutch down.

Best practice for a learner (as it was taught to me) was that you should brake down to your new speed, clutch down, change to appropriate gear. If you have to slow even more, repeat the process.

Even if you're in 5th, you can apply the brake down to a very slow speed before the engine will start to judder.

[romeogolf]

snowandrocks said:

For example, we were travelling along a stretch of 70 mph dual carriageway and approached a line of standing traffic...

I was taught to block-change. I passed in 2006. In the circumstances you described I would remain in 6th while slowing and then select 2nd or 3rd when I reached about 30mph, then dipping the clutch as I come to a halt, applying the handrake (if the traffic ahead has not started to move) and selecting neutral.

I was taught not to use engine braking, but to read the road ahead and select the gear I would require when I was back on the accelerator. Slowing from a higher speed, I was taught to do as above, selecting a mid-point gear, to ensure I wasn't coasting but still had control of the vehicle if the road situation changed quickly and I required power again.

[CallorFold]

romeogolf said:

snowandrocks said:

For example, we were travelling along a stretch of 70 mph dual carriageway and approached a line of standing traffic...

I was taught to block-change. I passed in 2006. In the circumstances you described I would remain in 6th while slowing and then select 2nd or 3rd when I reached about 30mph, then dipping the clutch as I come to a halt, applying the handrake (if the traffic ahead has not started to move) and selecting neutral.

I was taught not to use engine braking, but to read the road ahead and select the gear I would require when I was back on the accelerator. Slowing from a higher speed, I was taught to do as above, selecting a mid-point gear, to ensure I wasn't coasting but still had control of the vehicle if the road situation changed quickly and I required power again.

Same for me as you've described there. Passed in 2008

[R0G]

romeogolf said:

I was taught to block-change. I passed in 2006. In the circumstances you described I would remain in 6th while slowing and then select 2nd or 3rd when I reached about 30mph, then dipping the clutch as I come to a halt, applying the handrake (if the traffic ahead has not started to move) and selecting neutral.

I was taught not to use engine braking, but to read the road ahead and select the gear I would require when I was back on the accelerator. Slowing from a higher speed, I was taught to do as above, selecting a mid-point gear, to ensure I wasn't coasting but still had control of the vehicle if the road situation changed quickly and I required power again.

Its called - using a covering gear

[vonhosen]

R_U_LOCAL said:

kambites said:

Ah, I hadn't realised the examiner could give multiple minor faults to fail for the same problem. Has that always been the case?

Not sure if it's always been the case, but I've taught the occasional learner over the last 10 years and it's been the case during that time.

Candidates are allowed (if memory serves me right) up to 15 minor faults, but if they demonstrate a similar fault more than three times, it's classed as a serious fault and will result in a faul.

One serious or one dangerous fault will also result in a fail.

16th driving fault results in a fail.

It isn't the case that more than three of the same fault results in a 'serious' (habitual) fault. It depends on what the fault is. Doing something that ordinarily would result in a a 'recordable driving fault' (DVSA don't use the term 'minor') can be graded as a serious fault the second time you do it. It depends on what the fault is with regards to tolerance levels.

[akirk]

engine braking can only operate on the driven wheels (usually 2 of the 4) and gives wear and tear to a non-consumable item...
the brake pedal brings stopping power to all four wheels and gives wear and tear to consumables...

engine braking has its place (e.g. low gear down a steep hill stops brake fade), but shouldn't in a test be the default position...

regarding coasting / stopping / etc. - a lot also depends on the car, petrol v. diesel and various other factors...

[jamieduff1981]

TBH just go with whatever the instructors are teaching, pass the test then worry about learning to drive afterwards. After the test you/she can take technical or mechanical advice from an Engineer rather than a guy with a dual control Corsa.